Love Language
by Rose Thorne
Disclaimer: Don't own Miraculous Ladybug or make any money writing fanfiction.
Chapter Three
Marinette felt as though the evening passed in a daze. It seemed like no time had passed, her attention entirely on Kagami and the feel of the ring on her finger, before they were having a second, much lighter meal. This one consisted of shrimp and vegetable tempura and a spicy hot pot that left her warm and comfortable.
Eventually Tomoe had her parents driven home, as they had to open the bakery early the next morning.
"Mari-tō," Kagami murmured. "The staff will take your ring for the night, so it might be brought to a jeweler first thing in the morning. They will ensure the sharing ceremony didn't leave any sharp edges and correct if so."
Marinette ran her thumb over the place her ring had been connected to Kagami's and found that it would likely need some small work. She held her hand out to her fiancée, letting her slide off the ring. She smiled when Kagami kissed the bared finger, almost in apology, before sliding off her own and handing them to a waiting member of the Tsurugi house staff.
"The staff took your overnight bag to my room so we might retire. I thought perhaps a nice bath to relax beforehand?"
The idea of relaxing in the large soaking tub in Kagami's private bathroom filled Marinette with warmth of a different sort. They had bathed together before, and she had slowly grown comfortable with it; it wasn't sexual, but a kind of intimacy that added a closeness to their relationship. At first, bathing together had been scary—even though Marinette was Ladybug and ran around Paris in a skin-tight suit… That was Ladybug, not Marinette. Marinette had body insecurities.
But Kagami hadn't pressured her, and had started her with bathing suits, slowly acclimating her. She'd learned the cleansing of the body took place before the soak in the bath, had learned the intimacy of washing each other's backs, of their skin slipping together in the tub. She had come to appreciate the reciprocal care of a bath with Kagami, the tenderness of her presence. Their baths added a level of trust, and the way Kagami touched her when scrubbing her bath was with a reverence that made her shiver, made her feel beautiful and loved.
Tonight was both different and not—their relationship had changed on a fundamental level. They were no longer girlfriends, but fiancées, with an officiality that hadn't been there before. The sharing ceremony had been that extra step to make the bond more tangible, lending a moment in time that solidified everything in ways it hadn't been before.
Strange, how something so simple could be so important, so transformative.
She bowed to Tomoe and bid her goodnight politely, and was shocked when the woman who would now become her mother in law drew her into a brief hug.
They disrobed in Kagami's room, carefully hanging the qipao, setting out pajamas for bed. The bath had already been drawn, its steam giving off the fragrance of a pine forest, so appropriate for winter. Inhaling it, Marinette felt like she had been transported to one, to their own private cabin in the woods.
Kagami's hands lingered against her skin as they scrubbed each other's backs and more, and Marinette let her own hands rove across Kagami's skin, cleansing the stink of travel from her skin, replacing it with the orange blossom scent of her body wash, mingled with the pine. Kagami's fingers massaged her scalp as she worked in a vanilla-scented shampoo, then gently rinsed it. Marinette returned the favor, spending more time than necessary with Kagami's short hair.
When they had finished cleansing, Kagami took her hand and led her to the bath, helping her settle into the almost-too-hot water before slipping in herself. With Kagami at her side, her body enveloped in warmth, the scent of the pine essential oils in the bath, the steam rising to clear her senses… Marinette could feel all stress melt away, all anxieties calming. Here she could just bask in Kagami's presence.
"Mother and I discussed wedding ideas," Kagami murmured, slipping her arm around Marinette's waist, settling her hand at her hip. "Apparently many members of my family are recalcitrant to travel to Paris at present. I confess my interest in helping with the removal of Hawkmoth is somewhat selfish in nature as a result."
Even the reminder of her Ladybug duties didn't break the spell of the bath for Marinette.
"I've been thinking since we talked on video chat," Marinette said. "Along with the kwami, of course. We think Mullo would be our best bet. Take each arrondissement individually during Akuma attacks. You'd have the Mouse on a permanent basis, but your goal would be to monitor the arrondissement to see if the cleansed butterfly returns there."
Kagami nodded, leaning her head against Marinette's shoulders. "Has it been confirmed the butterflies return to Hawkmoth?"
That got a soft sigh. "Sadly, we have no idea; it's just the first idea. The alternate is spending time searching each arrondissement, waiting for Akuma butterflies to appear to try to narrow down their vector."
"I understand. This may not go as quickly as we might hope, it seems." She hummed softly. "I wonder if we might do the second but somehow entice Hawkmoth?"
Marinette smiled at the idea. "Perhaps using the Fox? I just worry Hawkmoth might catch on if we overdo it."
"We needn't decide now, and we can absolutely utilize multiple plans, different ones for each arrondissement. I only wished to breach the subject tonight, as deciding a wedding date would normally be a logical next step."
"You always make sure to communicate with me," Marinette breathed, leaning her cheek against Kagami's head. "I love that about you."
Kagami's fingers made a circular motion against her hip, and Marinette recognized the love in the gesture.
"Our relationship started with miscommunication, Mari-tō, and helped me realize the importance of good communication."
They fell quiet, just enjoying the warmth of the bath and each other, until their fingers were starting to prune and it was time to dry off. This was another thing they did together, wrapped in towels, using the fluffy fabric to wipe moisture from each other's backs, arms, legs, while also drying themselves.
Wrapped in a silk bathrobe, her hair wrapped in a towel, Marinette turned the hair dryer on Kagami's soft locks, running a brush through it as she dried each layer. Then it was her turn to enjoy the feel of hot air and fingertips against her scalp, sending her hair cascading in waves as it dried. Somehow Kagami was able to make it do more than just lie straight, giving it more texture than it usually had.
"Mari-tō, will you leave it down tonight?"
Marinette smiled at her in the mirror. "Of course, ma sirène."
The air of the bedroom was almost surprisingly cold, devoid of the hot steam of the bathroom, but the robes kept them warm.
Instead of moving to get dressed, Marinette crouched beside her bag.
"Oh, I forgot. I have something else for you, Kagami. I found it at a specialty store."
She pulled out a small blue and gold box and handed it to Kagami. Inside was a ball wrapped in gold foil. The box identified the contents as a chocolate orange, a picture on the top showing a confection shaped like an orange with pieces that had the texture of orange slices.
Abruptly, a wicked grin graced Kagami's face. "Oh, and what were we going to do with this?"
Marinette felt her jaw drop, her cheeks heating at the purr in her voice and the implication…
Well… she wouldn't say no…
"But you're sweeter than any orange, even one with chocolate, ma mandarine," she added, her voice husky.
The new endearment gave Marinette a fit of the giggles, even as it made her shiver. The start of their friendship, after all, had been going out for orange juice. And while she hadn't quite expected it to take this direction, she couldn't deny how the hunger in Kagami's eyes made her hunger in return.
She closed the space between them for a kiss, letting Kagami guide them to the bed, chocolate orange still in hand, the space between them only the thin fabric of their robes. Soon, Kagami reached one hand down to deftly untie the loose knot in Marinette's robe, then her own, placing her hand on Marinette's bare stomach. Her fingers trailed down, then around her hip, gently lifting her onto the bed.
Afterward, they lay limply together, indulging in gentle pets, the sensation of skin trailing against skin a cool fire between them.
The sound of the Akuma Alert app broke the quiet murmur of their breathing.
"Dammit," Marinette groaned.
Kagami dissolved into laughter. "At least I now understand why you must leave, ma mandarine. I shall keep the bed warm for you."
She untangled herself and quickly pulled on pajamas in case she had to detransform and recharge Tikki in the middle of cold Paris. Feeling petulant at the interruption, she leaned in to steal one last kiss before transforming to do her duty.
On the Discord server I'm on, ghostlyhamburger mentioned oranges involving Marinette/Kagami for the rather hot "Dirty Santa" fic she wrote—highly recommend (it's actually Adrigaminette). And suddenly the fact that there are chocolate oranges around Christmas broke my brain. I've so been looking forward to writing this.
I haven't written smut in a while, so I hope it reads well.
For those of you reading on FFN, the full version is on AO3.